This invention relates to a device for suspending a squeeze bottle containing hair shampoo in an upside down (inverted) position on a shower wall.
Hair shampoo is conventionally sold in squeeze bottles. The liquid is dispensed from the bottle by turning it upside down and applying a squeeze pressure on the side walls of the bottle. The bottle side walls are flexed inwardly toward the bottle axis to reduce the bottle volume; air within the bottle is slightly compressed to force liquid shampoo downwardly out of the bottle through a manual valve carried on the neck (cap) area of the bottle.
When the bottle is in a near-empty condition it becomes somewhat more difficult to dispense liquid shampoo from the bottle. A given inward flexure of the bottle side walls produces a somewhat smaller increase in the internal air pressure because the air volume decrease is smaller in a relative sense. Also, the liquid gravitational head is less due to the lesser liquid volume.
When the bottle is in a near-empty condition the liquid dispensing action becomes primarily a gravitational flow of the liquid. The manual squeeze pressure on the bottle side walls becomes relatively less effective as a dispensing force. The semi-viscous nature of the liquid tends to impede the flow when the bottle is initially inverted. Some time is required before the liquid gravitates downwardly within the bottle to reach the discharge valve. The person using the bottle of shampoo experiences a certain degree of exasperation. Ocassionally the person will throw the bottle in the waste basket while there is still enough shampoo in the bottle to produce one or more hair washing actions.
The present invention relates to a device for suspending a bottle of shampoo in an inverted position on a shower wall. The bottle is permanently supported in an inverted position (while in the device); this is advantageous primarily when the bottle is in a near-empty condition, since the liquid is in direct contact with the discharge valve. As the person opens the discharge valve the liquid is enabled to immediately gravitate through the open valve into the person's hand for application to the hair, thereby shortening the time required to dispense the liquid.
An additional advantage of the bottle support device is that more liquid can drain down along the internal surface of the bottle side wall to collect at the neck area of the bottle; i.e. the liquid can drain over time, prior to the liquid dispensing operation. As a result a greater percentage of the bottle contents can be used.